Kozhikode: Police on Thursday arrested U K Hamza, alias Taliban Hamza, believed to have strong links with the Islamic State leadership in Syria and Iraq and who allegedly motivated around 15 youths from Kannur to join the dreaded terrorist organisation. Fifty seven-year-old Hamza was arrested along with Manaf, who was detained at Mangaluru airport when he was on his way to Syria in December, 2016. Though police had information about the IS links of the duo, they were searching for conclusive evidence before arresting them.

According to the FIR, Hamza has connections with Al Ansar Salafi study centre in Bahrain, from where he radicalised youths in Kerala. Police said that Hamza returned to Kerala around an year ago but maintained his contacts with the IS. The cops had arrested three youths on Wednesday in Kannur for alleged IS links. Meanwhile, National Investigation Agency (NIA) is gearing up to take over the case connected to the IS registered by Valapattanam police.

Hamza has worked as a cook for an Islamic terrorist who later became one of the leaders of the IS.Though police had some information about the duo’s IS links, they were searching for conclusive evidence before arresting them.

According to the FIR, Hamza has connections with the Al-Ansar Salafi study centre in Bahrain, from where he radicalised the youths, including Muhadis from Malappuram, who was killed in Syria a few months ago. It is suspected that two other youths attached to the centre also had gone to Syria and got killed in battle.

“Hamza worked in various Gulf countries for about two decades and has profound knowledge of Islam. He firmly believes that the IS is the real Islamic organization. Hamza said he longed for an outfit like the IS even before the organization was formed in 2014,” a police officer who interrogated Hamza said. Hamza’s meeting with a Nigerian, who converted to Islam while he was in the Gulf, was the turning point in his life. It was the Nigerian who radicalised Hamza and provided financial help to him to start his own business. Hamza was attracted to Taliban and to the Al-Qaeda, but when the IS was formed he became an ardent supporter of the terrorist organization.

Police said Hamza returned to Kerala around one year ago but maintained his contacts with the IS. “He had personal relationship with Shameer, the PFI leader from Pappinasseri, and through Shameer he lured others to the IS. Hamza knows everything about the Keralites who joined the IS,” police said. In the FIR, police said the Kerala module of the IS had planned some attacks in the state. They considered hijra (migration) as an opportunity to get trained in jihad and to come back to India to participate in Gazve Hind (conquest of India).